Canadiens’ Two Biggest RFAs Could Be Part Of Sign-and-Trade Deals

The Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan suggested in a recent article that two of the team’s biggest RFA names, Arber Xhekaj and Zack Bolduc, could be on the move. He wrote: “The fact neither player has signed yet leads me to believe they could become part of sign-and-trade deals before Sept. 16.”

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Two of the Canadiens’ most talked-about young players still don’t have new contracts — and according to Cowan, that’s not a coincidence.

Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc remain restricted free agents deep into August, and Cowan believes their unsigned status could be pointing toward something bigger than a routine holdup. He floated the idea that both could become trade chips before a key date on the NHL calendar: September 16, when the league’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect and reshapes what teams can offer in future contracts.

Cowan writes:

“The fact neither player has signed yet leads me to believe they could become part of sign-and-trade deals before Sept. 16 — like the one the Canadiens made last summer to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders after he had agreed to an eight-year, US$76-million contract as a restricted free agent.”

GM Kent Hughes has made clear he’s actively hunting for both a top-six forward and a right-shot defenseman this offseason — the kind of targets that require real assets to acquire. Both Xhekaj and Bolduc would have trade value around the league. Neither has trade protection. If Hughes is able to find an upgrade on the blue line, it’s going to be tough for Xhekaj to make the team.

Cowan adds, “The Canadiens won’t want to lose Bolduc, who really impressed me in the playoffs with his grit while posting 3-4-7 totals in 19 games, along with 47 hits — the second-most on the team behind Kaiden Guhle’s 51. But you have to give up something in order to get something — especially in a package for a top-six forward.”

Hughes has been blunt about wanting a deal sooner rather than later, but insists he won’t rush into anything just to satisfy an impatient fanbase. Whether Xhekaj, Bolduc, or both end up as the price of admission is the question hanging over Montreal’s next few weeks.

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